BNP leaders finally enter Naya Paltan office, allege vandalism by police

The central office of BNP at Naya Paltan in Dhaka opened on Sunday, four day after it was locked by the law enforcement agencies terming it a crime zone.

Around 1:00 pm on Sunday, the party's office secretary Syed Emran Saleh along with several lawyers entered the office. He alleged that the office was vandalised and the important documents were lost.  

Emran Saleh told Prothom Alo that two days ago, police handed over the keys of the office's main gate to the security guard. But the leaders and activists were not allowed to go inside. Today, Sunday, they have entered the office.

Police claimed they recovered some explosive substances from inside the office on 7 December -- a day when a clash broke out between the police and the leaders and activists of BNP that claimed the life of at least one person and injured dozens.

However, the party denied the allegation saying police carried the explosive substances to the office. The clash erupted centering the party’s scheduled 10 December rally which finally took place at Golapbagh field in Dhaka with the presence of thousands of BNP leaders and activists.

Following the clash, hundreds of leaders and activists of BNP, including the party’s secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, were arrested.

He said the door of the party's chairperson room was broken and important documents went missing from there. They hold meetings on Skype in the party’s vice chairperson room. Nothing was found there -- monitor, CPU and important files.

The computer and CPU of the account section were lost. The drawer used for keeping money was found broken: money and cheque books were lost. The computer, CPU, printer, scanner and laptop were taken away. The offices of Chatra Dal, Jubo Dal, Krishak Dal, Mohila Dal and other associate bodies of the BNP were vandalised too, Emran Saleh claimed.

Bitterly condemning the incident, the BNP leader said the government destroyed the country, so did the BNP office to foil our movement.

When asked whether they will take any legal action over losing the important documents and equipment, Emran Saleh said they will first make a list of what belongings they have lost. Then they will decide what to do discussing the party's high-ups.